“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
I am a proponent of life long learning. That does not mean it has to be purely academic. Learning about the things that interest you, and feel passionate about are important too.
The following is a guest post from Jeff Fernandez.
Professional Skills Development & Microlearning
The faced-paced and demanding world we live in is constantly evolving, and we need to evolve right alongside it. That means understanding that learning is not something that we engage in just until the mortar board flies off our heads!
Today’s world requires us to be open to and engaged in lifelong learning. That’s certainly true if the goal is big, such as earning another/advanced degree or special accreditation. But it is also true for mid-sized projects such as learning to speak a new language fluently, or something somewhat smaller like expanding the repertoire of foreign cuisines you can cook, one new recipe, unfamiliar ingredient or new spice at a time.
Everyday we are learning new things, some more obvious than others. According to an article in Reader’s Digest, “(l)earning new information and skills across your entire lifespan helps to keep your brain strong even in the later years of life.”
Lifelong learning, even at work
Lifelong learning can also include upgrading our workplace skills as needed. If your company just installed a more efficient accounting system, there will certainly be a learning curve to achieve mastery. Just bought a new company-wide phone system? You’ll need to become proficient in using it. Have you been promoted to management? Perhaps that entails learning people management skills, or learning how to speak in public to a large group.
Or, you simply may want to upgrade your digital skills for that new job search you are planning for the spring.
Psst…Got a minute?
So how do busy, time-starved individuals find the time to learn new skills?
Microlearning can be the answer. Microlearning entails taking a large amount of often times complex information about a specific topic, and smartly and deliberately dicing it up into bite-sized lessons — such as 60- or 90-second video tutorials — that can more easily be consumed and digested. This process typically allows learners to understand, absorb and retain more information than with all-day, often marathon training sessions, or work-interrupting internal or external classes.
Furthermore, microlearning can take place anywhere, anytime and via any number of mobile digital devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) making it the perfect solution for on the spot learning opportunities for folks who need to find out how to move files within Google docs, substitute a spreadsheet formula, or virtually anything else.
Embrace a lifetime of learning
Learning can and should be a rewarding personal experience which can be highly customized to individual topics, employee or employer needs, and effortlessly implemented over a lifetime for continuous learning. Microlearning allows users to quickly and easily learn something new and allow for information to be accessed on a need-to-know-right-now basis, or update skills for future use.
Jeff Fernandez is co-founder and CEO of Grovo, which is working to empower the digital workforce with a truly simple end-to-end training solution that delivers the best results in the shortest time.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
